City comparison
Chattanooga, TN is about 475 miles (800 km) from Chicago, IL in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 600 miles, or about 10 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Chattanooga, TN to Chicago, IL takes about 58 min, covering roughly 475 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Chicago has a population of 2,721,914, vs 181,288 in Chattanooga — about 15.0× larger by population. By land area, Chicago covers about 230 sq mi vs 140 sq mi for Chattanooga.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Chattanooga | Chicago | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,066/mo | $1,314/mo | 23.3% higher in Chicago |
| Median home value | $230,500 | $304,500 | 32.1% higher in Chicago |
| Median household income | $57,703 | $71,673 | 24.2% higher in Chicago |
| Groceries index | 96.2 | 106.4 | 10.5% higher in Chicago |
| Utilities index | 76.1 | 84.4 | 10.9% higher in Chicago |
| Transportation index | 95.8 | 100.3 | 4.7% higher in Chicago |
| Healthcare index | 95.3 | 100.2 | 5.2% higher in Chicago |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Chattanooga, you'd need $121,269 in Chicago to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Chattanooga, TN is about 17.5% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 44% higher in Chicago than in Chattanooga. If you earn $80,000 in Chattanooga, you'd need about $97,016 in Chicago to keep the same standard of living.